Texas Bucket List

Texas Bucket List

Simmons Bank

The Texas Bucket List – RV Museum in Amarillo

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AMARILLO, Texas – The great expanse that is the Panhandle calls travelers to explore the open road.  The old route 66 has a plethora of pit stops from the Cadillac Ranch, the barbed wire museum, the big Texan, and one you might not expect to find in Amarillo, the RV museum.

Trent and Jack Sisemore are a father and son duo that has been in the RV business since 1974.

For over 30 years, they’ve been collecting rare recreational vehicles in an 8,000 square foot metal building in the crossroads of the panhandle.

“We were very strategic in the accusations that we did through that 30 years knowing that this was going to be the ultimate consummation of that,” Jack said.

Winnebagos from way back, buses from blockbusters, and a few motorcycles to round out the mobile collection, this archive is sort of an accolade of Americana.

Their collection includes a 1935 Airstream.

“It’s the oldest Airstream in the world that was built by a Dr. Holloman in his back yard in Florida,” Trent said. “It was all built by hand. It looks kind of like something from a Jules Vern movie.”

So what did Dr. Holloman get from Airstream if he had to build the RV himself? Plans and one license to build it, according to Trent.

“It was out of Popular Mechanics and it cost five dollars,” Trent said. “But then as you can see, we’ve been in manufacturing and I don’t know many people anymore that could build something of this design and this quality. I mean it took years of love and care to build this. ”

The oldest RV in the world, you’ll find that here too.

“It’s a 1921 Lamsteed Kamkar built by Anheuser Busch,” Trent said. “They actually built five of them. There’s two of them left. This one and one in the museum in Harris in Reno Nevada.”

Even the super campy campers of the 70’s are all restored and maintained to the sparking super fly semblance that was somehow in style.

Jack and Trent are incredibly tedious about recreating what life was like during the time period of each trailer.

“I do a lot of RVing in the fall, and I go everywhere I can go,” Trent said. “Every garage sale, every yard sale, every junk store finding all the old toys and games that go along with these and the books and people can then go back there and remember how much fun they had.”

These old-school campers are a far cry from what you can find today but telling this story isn’t just about a fond look at the fixtures and patterns of the past.  This is about getting out there and seeing the world from a perspective with propulsion.

“From the time man began people have adventured and tried to move into new frontiers. And so that spirit, it keeps it alive,” Trent said. “And this keeps the history of the RV industry alive.”

The Texas Bucket List – The Austin Toy Museum

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AUSTIN, Texas – Every once in a while, you just want to feel like a kid again and over in Austin there’s a museum dedicated to the toys some of us had back in the day.  So we headed to our capital to get knocked over by nostalgia.

Caleb Zammit is the mid 30’s mastermind who simply kept on collecting figures and hard to find fortresses since the fantastic 80’s.

“I think at my 30th birthday I was like, ‘I think I’ll open a toy museum,” said Zammitt.

The former teacher decided to open this museum to reminisce and he needed a place to put all his toys.  Convincing his mom not to get rid of his toys was the trick to making this toy museum a reality.

“She was very understanding with my collection passion, and my wife, too, luckily. But she’s happy to have it all out of the house now. She actually has her house back.”

Now Caleb gets to share his huge collection of He-Man, what seems like thousands of Thundercats, too many transformers to count, a ginormous group of G.I. Joe’s, and a sizeable selection of Star Wars.

“Our catch phrase is, ‘I had that,’ so we hear a lot of people come through and, ‘I had that. I had that. I had that.’”

You’ll even find a collection of old school arcade games that are all on free play. While the younger generations are able to pick up how to play on these tactile treasures, other versions of home electronics are harder to figure out.

Despite having this amazing g collection that’ll take you through the years, Caleb does have one thing to work on, other than the games.

“We’ve gotten complaints that we don’t have enough girl toys. We need to work on that.”

10 year old Rylan seemed to be having just as much as me at the museum.

“I’ve never seen a museum with toys in it before,” Rylan said. “Best museum.”

There’s no doubt about it, the Austin Toy Museum is well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List for the young at heart form around the country.

“For me I just get joy out of it.,” Gerold McCoy, a kid at heart from Chicago, said. “You know, I remember stuff that I did as a kid going over to my cousin Chuck’s house to play Co-Leak-Oh Vision.  You know there’s just good memories from it. You’ve got to remember what you were like when you were a kid. Life’s too short.”

 

The Texas Bucket List – Driving Tanks at The Ox Ranch in Uvalde

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UVALDE, Texas – On the northwest corner of Uvalde County, you’ll find 18,000 acres of serene Texas scenery at The Ox Ranch.  This sprawling Lone Star State spread is home to an exotic game ranch and happens to have some fascinating full time residents that’ll be happy to take any carrots you might have off your hands.

The biggest surprise here is housed in a metal building with some historic heavy equipment.

Dedicated to the greatest generation that ever lived, Drive Tanks.com offers a very unique experience that is well worth a stop on any bucket list.

“Well that’s what’s really unique,” Spencer said. “We reserve that right for our clients. They actually get to drive and shoot these tanks.”

Todd DeGidio came up with this explosive idea of allowing people to drive, operate, and even shoot some of the most iconic military weapons, and yes, that includes tanks.

“People want to see history,” Todd said. “They want to see and feel and live the past. You know, see what happened in the past. I don’t think that you can put a label on it, and that’s the good thing about our operation.”

Todd served as a green beret back in the 80’s and his team of veterans helps run this operation with some serious firepower. This fire power includes a Russian T34 tank, a German Half Tracks, a Sherman E8 tank, anti-tank guns, machine guns, mortars, and flame throwers.

“We have people constantly just sitting here and I’m like you know you can touch ‘em,” Spencer said. “It’s kind of different. Usually you’re in a museum, and you’re like, ‘If I cross the red tape, will they kick me out?’ No here we want you to actually grab it, lift it off the wall, feel it, feel what it feels like, and imagine yourself shooting it.”

As you drive through the tank coarse, the thrill of commanding 31 tons of American made military might is immeasurable.

“We have military people come and say, ‘Yeah this was on my bucket list because I never could do that in the military,’” Todd said. “So, it’s a very small percentage that even get to do that in the military.”

Dodging explosions and turret gunners takes this experience to the next level. You can’t help but think of the young men who didn’t do this for fun but to protect our freedom.

“When you sit in one of these things and hear the engine running, and realize there was somebody that was in here defending our country overseas and this was their only means of survival and this was how they had to survive and live and fight; it brings a whole new level of meaning to what these pieces of equipment are,” Todd said.

There’s no doubt our Armed Forces are the greatest in the world and we appreciate their incredible service and sacrifice to our country. This experience adds to that appreciation.

“To be able to have them here and bring them to life just as they were in 1945, there’s nothing like it,” Spencer said.

The Texas Bucket List – Little Graceland in Los Fresnos

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LOS FRESNOS, Texas – It’s hard to beat south Texas during the not so wintery days of January. The warmer weather brings in people from all over the country for sun, sand, and some serious sideburns. This week we start things off down in the Valley at a celebration fit for a king – well, the king of rock & roll, that is. You see, a personal friend of Presley’s puts on this Presley-sized party every few years, and it leaves people saying thank you, thank you very much.

Every January, close to the King of rock and roll’s birthday, people flock to Los Fresnos for a celebration at Little Graceland.

Just why is the tiny tribute to Elvis sitting here in South Texas? Well it’s all because of this man, Simon Vega.

“I was nine months younger than Elvis,” Vega said. “I was born in a two-room house, a two-room shed just like Elvis.”

He too was born in 1935, just a few miles from his little manor dedicated to the musical act of the millennia. But what was Simon’s special connection to the King?  He actually got to hang with one of the most influential singers of all time.

“I took my basic training at Fort Hood and was there for six weeks at the same time Elvis got there,” said Vega.

Simon was drafted into the Army in 1958 and while waiting for chow, Mr. Vega approached Presley.

“So when I patted him on the back, he turned around and said, ‘Hi, Vega You know me…?” And I said, ‘Hi, Elvis. Hey Elvis, what can I do for you? I want to be your friend.’ We shook hands. He said, ‘Okay, let’s be friends.’ And that’s, we were friends for a long time,” Vega said.

The duo was stationed in Germany and Simon was part of the crew that included Joe Esposito, Elvis’s eventual longtime bodyguard.  Simon fondly recalls their time together hanging out in the hot spots of Frieberg.

“You know at the end of the month in the Army. Everybody’s broke. Guys shoot dice and play cards and lose their money and on weekends he would say, ‘Hey guys, come with me.’ He would pick up some snacks at the bar and he would feed us hamburgers and stuff, and he’d pay for it,” said Vega.

Perhaps another interesting side to Elvis Simon witnessed was writing habits – not devoted to lyrics, but to letters.

“His company had two mail clerks,” Vega said. “Every day he would bring a big sack full of letters and throw them to the guys. Our company had two mail clerks. One for us, and one for Elvis.”

Elvis was a good friend to have and when their time together in the service came to an end, Elvis had a proposal for Simon, the same proposal that the King made to Joe Esposito.

“Told Elvis I had to go back to my wife and family, and he pointed at me, and he said, ‘Look Vega, go back to Texas, and if you can’t find a job right away, come to Graceland and I’ll put you on the payroll,” said Vega.

That was the last time Simon got to talk with Elvis, but Pressley made such an impression on Simon that he started his collection to the King and built Little Graceland.

“Many people haven’t been to Graceland because it’s too far or something. They come here, they get a pre-Graceland, you know, and they become friends and they become friends and all that, and they help keep Elvis’s name going,” Vega said.

Once a year, the big bash brings in the Elvis faithful and now a former schoolteacher is the one people want their pictures with. Danny Lee is Corpus Christi native who happens to be an Elvis impersonator.

“I wouldn’t have a job if it wasn’t for Elvis,” said Lee.

Being a native son of south Texas, Danny is a big draw at the Little Graceland Elvis Festival and he understands Simon’s connection to the King.

“You know, he also wrote a song about Elvis. Have you heard that? It was called ‘Hail to Elvis Presley,’ and that just goes to show you how much of an influence Elvis had over everybody in the United States and rock and roll,” Lee said.

So Simon keeps the King’s memory alive in South Texas with his royal tribute full of memorabilia, pictures, and every Elvis album ever made.

“Hope it never dies, because he was a, I don’t think there’s going to be another Elvis. Never,” said Vega.

The Texas Bucket List – Old Rip in Eastland

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EASTLAND, Texas – The center of Eastland Texas, which happens to be the center of Eastland County, happened to be the center of the entire country nearly 100 years ago.

It seems the story of a lizard, commonly referred to as a toad, stole the Lone Star State spotlight back in 1928 when the cornerstone of the old Eastland courthouse was removed.  Rumor had it that when the courthouse was built in 1897, people remembered a horned toad being put in the void and sealed so curious onlookers would come out in droves.  At least, that’s what Cecil Funderbergh, a lifelong resident of Eastland, told us.

“A crowd of about 3,000 people gathered together for the opening of the cornerstone because there were rumors that the horned toad could live for a hundred years, you know, could hibernate for 100 years and everybody wanted to see if it was true,” Fundergergh said. “So after 31 years they opened the cornerstone and an oil man by the name of Eugene Day reached into the cornerstone and pulled out a flat, dusty horned toad, handed it to the Methodist preacher who then handed it to the county judge, Judge Pritchard. He held it up by the hind leg for everybody to see and all of a sudden the other hind leg started twitching. Then he took a deep breath and he puffed up like the horned toad will sometimes puff up pretty good, and the crowd just went crazy, you know.”

The lethargic lizard was nicknamed Old Rip in honor of another sleepy story Rip Van Wrinkle, and wouldn’t you know, Old Rip became an overnight sensation.

“They say that he got more press coverage than anyone other than Charles Lindberg, when Lindberg few the Atlantic, you know,” said Funderbergh. “Old Rip was the big story around the nation.”

He even got a face-to-face meeting with President Calvin Coolidge.

“Calvin Coolidge, his nickname was ‘Silent Cal.’ You know, he didn’t talk very much, and they say that Old Rip stared him down,” Funderbergh said. “So you know, he made the president speak first.”

It’s even been said the story of ol’ Michigan J. Frog got its start thanks to Old Rip.

“You know, Eastland’s name was in the paper all over the country and it’s just a source of pride,” said Funderbergh.

Unfortunately Old Rip’s time in outside world was short-lived and Old Rip took an eternal nap 11 months after being freed from his Texas tomb.  But today you can see ole’ Rip sitting prominently in the window of the Eastland County Courthouse. County Judge Rex Fields got us a personal visit with the frozen stiff toad.

“Well, Old Rip is a landmark for Eastland, Eastland County,” said Judge Fields. “This is a claim to fame here, that we could have a reptile that could live in a cornerstone of the courthouse for 31 years. It’s pretty amazing.”

Of course there are those who don’t jump right in when it comes to the lore of this lizard.  But considering they busted Old Rip out during the winter, those who firmly believe say that’s all the proof you need right there.

“Would be next to impossible for someone to get a horned toad, a live horned toad, in February and say hey, this is the one that was in the cornerstone,” Funderbergh said. “So, I think the evidence points to it being a true story. Of course, around here we swear to it.”

So what used to be a common critter in Eastland county is now an oddity, an oddity that swells the pride in the people in this part of our state.  And you too can see the lizard with lineage and pay your respects to Old Rip.

“It’s part of our history, you know,” said Funderbergh. “I think everybody needs to know about horned toads since they’re nearly extinct. They need to know about them.”

The Texas Bucket List – Dutch Windmill Museum in Nederland

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NEDERLAND, Texas – Down in the Golden Triangle of southeast Texas, you’ll find Nederland.

Just like any town in Texas, this small Dutch community is proud of their heritage.  That’s why you’ll find a giant windmill proudly pushing again the winds of the gulf coast.

Carol Culp is the curator of the crazy looking Nederland Texas Windmill Museum that was built back in 1969.

“It’s 40 feet tall,” said Culp. “It’s in recognition of the Hollanders who established the town.”

In 1897, Nederland was settled by a group Dutch settlers who felt the low-lying lands of southeast Texas reminded them of their home in the Netherland, so they named their town after their European country.

The museum pays tribute to the 51 original settlers who came to the Lone Star State for a new life, but once they got a taste of the tropical heat of Texas, some weren’t so Amsterdam thrilled to be there.  The Dutch that were determined and had what it took to be Texans, built rice farms and dairies.

Glen Koelemay is kin to some of the original settlers.

“When they got here they found a little bit different climate,” Koelemay said.

Koelemay’s family operated the Orange Hotel for a time, sort of a staging area for Dutch families new to the area. The hotel had a library full of Dutch books, dancing, a lot of polka.

“The family would gather on Friday night and they’d have card games and play pinochle, and I loved to hear their Dutch brogue as they spoke,” said Koelemay.

Glen fondly remembers his boyhood, helping his father run the family dairy.

“I did help put caps on the bottles, and we had a special hand-held machine that had all the bottle caps stacked in it and you’d place it on the bottle and dispense the cap,” Koelemay said. “When I think about it, I thought, boy this was modern stuff at one time.”

He remembers his dad slipping on the old school wooden shoes to go out into the field and the reason his father swore by these not-so-flexible shoes. Of course here at the museum, you can try on a pair for yourself and surprisingly their not too bad but I’ll stick with my boots.

“It wasn’t that it, they were so comfortable, it was that you could slip them off easy when you came into the house, and when you were working around the cows and in the fields, they didn’t wear out,” said Koelemay. “Your feet may have wore out, but they didn’t wear out.”

The Dutch windmill museum is more than just a funny looking building with a few native novelties; it’s a repository of the original settlers who were as strong and stubborn as any Texan to make their way of life in a world much different than which they came, even if they happened to have the same name.

“We need to remember our heritage, all of us need to remember our roots, you know, where we came from, our mom, dad, grandma, well, you know who they were,” Culp said. “We have a lot of Europeans that come. They’re very excited about seeing our museum.”

Considering Texans don’t have to fly over the ocean to learn about this curious collection, it’s truly worth whisking in to hear about the Hollanders who made starting a life in Texas the very first item on the 1897 version of The Texas Bucket List.

“They, they came here, they did their best, they didn’t know what they were doing, but they were doing something and it contributed to their welfare,” said Koelemay. “I’m proud of it. Proud of it.”

The Texas Bucket List – The Trophy Barber Shop in Baytown

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BAYTOWN, Texas – For over 100 years, the entrance to the Houston ship channel, at the mouth of the San Jacinto River, has been at the doorstep of Baytown.

Settled as early as 1822, Baytown has rich history in oil and gas production and all the hardworking folks who keep churning out Texas tea need a place to get cleaned up every once a while.  Fortunately, there’s the Trophy Barber Shop.

Chris Roux was born and raised in Baytown and he’s passionate about being the caretaker and owner of this eclectic old school institution that’s been around since Kennedy was president.

“1962 values and traditions to me means that, not only are we going to be excited that you’re walking through our door but, we’re going to be proud to give you great service and bring your family and we’ll take great care of them too,” said Chris.

Chris is passing along the principles established by the barber who started the Trophy Barber Shop back in the day, Jimmy Carpenter.  You see, Jimmy enjoyed taking a little off the top for customers and taking a bit more off the top of his hunting trophies.

“I tell people I have a twelve-foot polar bear in my shop,” Chris said. “It’s very hard to explain.”

Legend has it that Jimmy’s wife was tired of having such massive mounts in her home, so Jimmy took them to work and a Baytown institution was created.  For over 50 years, nothing has changed.

“These are the original chairs, the original pictures, everything’s original in here,” said Chris. “All the animals are original. We don’t add animals, we don’t buy animals, would never do anything like that to disgrace the name of Jimmy Carpenter and the Baytown icon he’s created.”

John Carpenter is as close to this story as the fade on his hair because Jimmy was his great uncle.

“It was a real big thing, especially as a young boy to come in here and see all this,” John said. “That’s what he loved to do. He was just a barber by trade, so that’s how this all came together in a roundabout fashion.”

Known for his flannel blue hunting shirt and sense of humor – I mean who puts a deer in their car?  Jimmy realized that each of his hunts created more business and more business created more hunting.   In total, you’ll find 155 exotics and 100 in-state mounts.  As for the racks –

“There are 755 racks of deer antlers hanging through the middle of the shop,” said Chris. “They actually blocked Texas Avenue when Jimmy had that bear mounted. He drove in a convertible, had the bear in the back of that car while he paraded it down Texas Avenue and people lined up down the street to watch.”

Now that had to be a sight to see.

Johnny Reyes is the most seasoned stylist in the barber shop.  He could hang up his clippers but something keeps bringing him back.

“I’ve been cutting hair for a hundred years,” Johnny said. “I’m retired now, so I come in here because I miss the place, you know. Gotta come in here and see it.”

Daniel Hodges has been cutting hair since he was 15.

“From what I understand, I’m sure almost everybody in the city of Baytown’s probably been in here. If not, a majority of them have,” Daniel said. “Oh I’ve heard lots of crazy stories. Relationship stories are probably the best.”

He too appreciates the history of this place while experiencing the traditional service and talking a bit about life.

“Take a look back from where you’re at and you start to realize, you know what? This is a pretty awesome shop. You know, not every barber shop works like this, or I’ve been blessed to work for one, you know? I enjoy working here,” said Daniel. “[The barber shop] feels that’s the way it should be, and I think the city of Baytown feels the same way.”

You do start to feel life at a slower pace.  Then the aftershave hits. So come in for clean-up, and leave getting to see a barber shop that’s been a way of life for generations of Texans.

“I don’t think traditions and values ever get old,” Chris said. “I don’t think treating people right ever gets old, and as long as people want to get good service, good haircuts, be treated right, I think we’ll be around for a long time.”

The Texas Bucket List – Alien Gravesite in Aurora

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AURORA, Texas – This small community north of Fort Worth may be named for the glimmering light show seen in the sky, but it’s something that fell from the wild blue yonder that’s legendary in this little town.

Dan McEntire is the town’s historic preservation officer, an interesting title for a place that’s only got about 1200 people – but it used to be much bigger.

“Aurora has a considerable amount of history,” said McEntire. “At one time, it was targeted to be the county seat of Wise County. Used to have a population, as I understand, of over 5000 here, and there were some problems. They had an epidemic that went through and kind of wiped a lot of the population out. They also, the railroad bypassed the town. There was a pamphlet out called, ‘The Town that Almost Was.’”

During the continuous downtrodden times of the late 1800’s, something out of this world is said to have happened here.

“Well, there’s a rumor about the spaceship that hit one of the windmills,” McEntire said.

File this one under strange and unusual, because this story is just getting started.

“As I understand it, the spaceship hits Judge Proctor’s windmill out there and crashes,” said McEntire. “They took the alien’s body and they buried him at the cemetery and gave him a Christian burial. Several of the people in the area, they went out and looked at the crash scene. They went back, they kept their children away from it. I understand they threw parts of the spacecraft down in a well. Other people just took, you know, carried off what they could of it, you know, which the people would do, I suspect, back in those days particularly.”

The alleged crash even made the Dallas Morning News on April 19th 1897.  Submitted to the paper by Aurora resident S.E. Haydon, a local cotton buyer, the alien news wasn’t front page by any means, but it did make page 5.  While skepticism was high back in the day, some still believe that something happened here.  All you have to do is go to the cemetery where the alien is said to have been buried.

A large stone serves as the marker to the foreign body that has apparently been moved to keep curious kleptos from digging up whatever could be resting in the Aurora cemetery.

“The sad part about it is, you know, a lot of people don’t have a lot of respect for the cemeteries and things and they just come out here, and there’s a lot of destruction that’s going on, so they kind of just kind of moved him off, buried him somewhere,” McEntire said. “The people, this is my understanding that he was moved and buried elsewhere so that people couldn’t go out and dig him up. And that would make sense, because the people that did that are all dead. I don’t know if they passed it on to anyone else – I’m not aware of anybody that knows the actual burial site, but you know, again, going back to that good ole’ Texas law, you have to get permission of the next of kin to dig them up anyway.”

That is, unless you’re the people redigging him somewhere to keep his body safe. Despite being a far-out story with no real physical proof, people still stop by to pay their respects to Ned, the resident out-of-this-world alien corpse that may or may not be buried here.

Ricky Lee, wife Kristi, and family happened to be paying their respects to a lost loved from this Earth when they decided to see what the cosmic commotion was all about.

“It’s just part of our background to come up here and when we have a funeral, a family funeral, we come and pay our respects to the alien also,” said Kristi Lee.

So the story of the alien ship that crashed in the windmill of one Judge Proctor lives on, perhaps for light years.  But it does bring a smile, some when they need it most, and keeps that tingling question of our existence hovering in our heads.

“I am a strong believer in, the dear Lord is powerful enough that if He wanted to create another universe and other people, He could have done it and He didn’t have to tell us about it,” McEntire said. “And that’s what I believe strongly.”

The Texas Bucket List – Dave’s Pawn Shop in El Paso

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EL PASO, Texas – In the bustle streets of the border city El Paso, you’ll find a plethora of places to shop just a few blocks from the bridge to Juarez.  Most of these shops have your typical everyday needs and tourist trinkets, except for one pawn shop with a peculiar cluster of crazy items.

That’s where we met David Delgadillo. He’s been managing this quirky collection of off-the-wall items for 13 years.

While you’ll find your typical pawn shop essentials – gold, guitars, and gear works – you’ll find a few things that might give you goose bumps.

Originally opened in 1950 as a military surplus store, Dave’s dove into pawning in 1953 and began purchasing peculiar and funky items in the 60’s.

One such item was their Fiji mermaid, part fish, person, and bird.

“Imagine to find something like this when you are in the lake,” said David.

Just like anything in a pawn shop, you can purchase the Fiji mermaid or any of the other oddities orbiting the shop, such as their resident mummy. It can be yours for only $14,995.

“Well, somebody walked by and said, ‘Hey, I have a mummy.’ I said, is it your mother? Your grandmother? He said, ‘No, no, I’m serious, It’s a mummy.’ I said, let’s take a look,” David said. “He brought it to us and it’s right here. The only one here in El Paso and the whole Texas, I think.”

One thing after another sparked our curiosity and interest in the eclectic store – and then David pulled a finger out of the window, that keeps pointing customers their way.

“This is the thing we have, for everybody asking. And they come in all the time to ask you for the finger,” said David. “Well, Pancho Villa’s trigger finger. I say, the finger it’s something else.”

Pancho Villa is the symbol of Mexico’s revolution 100 years ago.  He was a bandit, general, and hero to many in Mexico.  His lore apparently landed his finger in a box, in a pawn shop, in El Paso. It can be yours for the low, low price of $9500. We asked David if he’d gotten any offers on the dubious digit.

“No. Not yet, not yet,” David said. “Can I wrap it for you?”

We’re good, David.

Browsing is always free at Dave’s Pawn shop, so the next time you need a spooky, kooky stop on The Texas Bucket List, just poke on over to El Paso – but be sure to keep your hands where you can them.

“I think they have to come into the store, this store, because it’s part of the El Paso, Texas,” said David. “We can find everything here, different stuff, unique, and it’s amazing. An amazing store.”

 

 

The Texas Bucket List – Hemi Hideout in Brookshire

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BROOKSHIRE, Texas – Just west of Houston, in the small community of Brookshire, you’ll find a long tree-lined drive leading to a Texas-sized barn looking building. As soon you pull up to this place, it comes to light that this building is a radiant, retro, repository. Known as the Hemi Hideout, what started as a place to park some cars has turned into so much more.

John Hovas is the reason the Hemi Hideout is here and it all started when his father bought him a car – but not just any car.

“In 1970, my dad bought me a Dodge Super Bee. It was like the yellow one back here in the background, and this is why this is a Dodge and Plymouth venue,” said Hovas. “I’m trying to hang on to the past and reminisce the old days.”

Hovas’s time with his Super Bee flew by.

“I had that car for probably 2 or 3 years, and then got married, had children, and that car had to go,” Hovas said. “Everybody wishes they had the cars that they had originally, but who has the money or the wherewithal to do that? So I had to straighten up and walk a tight line at an early age.”

After a career of successful entrepreneurial ventures, Hovas wanted to relive his glory days, so he got his old car back plus a few more and built a small man cave in Waller country.

Construction took over two years and now Hovas is the proud owner of the biggest timber-framed building in Texas.  But it’s not just home to his car collection, it’s also home to a large collection of rare, colorful, and crazy signs.

“So, there’s probably 1200 signs in here right now, and it can easily hold three times as many,” said Hovas. “The more you put, the cooler it looks. The more cluttered, so to speak, the more intriguing, and you think you miss something and you want to go back over it again, and we hear that comment all the time here.”

With over 21,000 square feet of space in this cathedral to neon and Americana, you’ll find some of the most unique and rare signs in all of the United States. But for Hovas, it’s more than just flashy flares and radiant rays, it’s the story that these old advertisements tell.

“Men, women, old, young, everybody seems to love it because of all the beauty and the bling going on. But, when you start talking about the history behind it, it really grabs everybody’s attention,” Hovas said.

Having such a unique and luminous location brings in all sorts of life events – some of which you might not expect.

“We’ve had several weddings, we’ve had funerals in here too. I mean, I didn’t never dream in a million years, but car guys, it makes for a great, soft, nice touch if you’re a car guy,” said Hovas. “A farewell party in here, and they’re both fantastic.”

Despite having light bill from $2500 to $4500 that’s higher than a house payment, Hovas doesn’t charge people to gaze at the glare in his garage.  But if you do feel like you need to contribute to the cause, you’ll be doing more than just lighting the lights.

“We ask for a five dollar donation, and we match it dollar for dollar and all the funds go to local charities here, and we’ve done some remarkable things in Brookshire and Sealy area that we’re proud of,” Hovas said. “So if you don’t want to donate, you don’t have to.”

And if you take a fancy to some flashing neon lights, you’re allowed to bring them home – for a price. But for Hovas, this building is more than just trip down memory lane. It’s a culmination of everything he’s ever worked hard for, it’s a chance to bring joy and light up the eyes and hearts of the generations who got to see these signs in their glory years or to those who may have never seen the light.

“This will be the ride of my life, no doubt about that. I’ve done quite a few things that I’m proud of in my life, but this will be the ride of my life, and it’s still going on,” said Hovas.